THE PERCH

a creative platform for social exchange.

[thechicagoperch]

The Chicago Perch is growing Westerly and expanding its reach with a new chapter in Los Angeles!

By contributing to our IndieGoGo campaign (link), you can help us acquire the necessary equipment and tools needed to further our publishing efforts, as well as maintain the operating budget needed to expand our exhibition and educational initiatives to a new city as our work in Chicago continues to grow.

You can make a contribution and get cool stuff in return here!

We want to express our utmost gratitude for your support and involvement through this exciting moment of growth for us!

With our warmest regards,

The Perch Family

[yanezlazcano]

About a month ago, I scraped some money together created a custom portfolio box at The Perch, made some prints at LATITUDE, and signed up for some portfolio reviews at this year’s Filter Photo Festival in Chicago.  I had confidently been making work and keeping it tucked away, thinking I was okay without the feedback, until shit got real [ I quit a lucrative and soul-fulfilling job ] and I realized that maybe I was just a little bit afraid to put my work out there. So I pushed that fear to the side, enough to sneak by and meet some new faces, pay for 20 minutes of their focused time and get some feedback.  I wasn’t really sure what I was in for, but as I watched each of the reviewers’ hands delicately flip from one image to the next, their eyes slowly moving across each page, I understood that all of the time and effort I put into getting prepared for the review was worth it. All of the time and effort invested in creating the images, worth it. All of the anxiety presented when thinking about the work, worth it.  But most importantly I was reminded of the importance of believing in the work and putting it out there.

That being said, I’ve never been good at standing in the spotlight alone, nor do I want to get used to that, because I am fully aware that what I have been able to accomplish has come with a great deal of help. My dear friends/brothers, Matt Austin and Walker Blackwell really helped set me up for success. Their skill paired with their willingness to help seems endless.  I was also guided through my first experience of a portfolio review by the kindness of James Pepper Kelly, Erin Hoyt and Sarah Hadley— three incredibly hard-working and energized individuals.  

The list of those that I’ve come across that have helped me and influenced me positively can go on and on, that’s for sure.  I’m working on a piece about that… give me a minute.

Below are some links to things that happened as a result of the reviews. Acknowledgments and kind words indeed. I look forward to making more work, sharing more work and then making more work.  The list of goals is getting really specific.

http://elinspringphotography.com/blog/inspiration-101/

http://www.crusadeforart.org/blog/leave-behinds

http://detroitccp.org/In-Review-2014

[thechicagoperch]

CUSTOM MADE PERCH NOTEBOOK

Custom made notebooks of roughly 128 pages.

All handmade at The Perch. 

Due to their very custom nature, please allow two weeks for the creation of such notebook. 

These notebooks are all custom ordered.

Give us a general sense of what you’d like (color, feel, vibe, etc) and we’ll make it match your description to the best of our ability with what materials we have.  

Your book will come with a title, a note that describes where your book’s materials came from, and how we incorporated your ideas into our design. 

All books come with Perch logo de-bossed on it. 

[justinnalley]

[thechicagoperch]

Getting super excited to take some big steps in publishing Justin Nalley's upcoming Perch publication "TAKE CARE" in these coming months!

Follow his tumblr and acquaint yourself with his new work!

[oranbeg]

Opening TOMORROW from 6-9pm see you there! 

One Place or Another Aviary, 48 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA August 7-31, 2014

An exhibition of photo books curated by John O’Toole of Oranbeg Press. Featuring Lavalette, Hassla Books, Conveyor Arts, Oranbeg Press, Give an Onion/Branch, VUU, Mossless, Houseboat Press, Cadillac Ranch Dressing, halfling zine, Lodret Vandret, Mossless, Editions FP&CF, Empty Stretch, Papersafe, Ain’t Bad Magazine, Packet Biweekly, J & L Books, Little Brown Mushroom, TCB Press, Preacher’s Biscuits Books, Lena Publications, and more.

Artists Colin Todd, Christopher Gianunzio, Thilde Jensen, Matthew Liefnet, Andrew Miksys, Yannick Willing, Tate Shaw, Tammy Mercure, Varvara Mikushkina, Sara Stojković, Kat Slootsky, Claudio Nolasco, Juan Madrid, Solomon D. Schechman, Max Branigan, Richard Perez, Carl Gunhouse, Paige Mazurek, Trevor Powers, Mike Finkelstein, Kelli Pennington, Guarionex Rodriguez Junior, Ben Alper, James Gentile, Michael McCraw, Timothy Briner, Daniel Augschoell, Michael Vahrenwald, TJ Elias, Meg T. Noe, Jordan Swartz, Nathaniel Grann, Stephanie Nortiz, Irina Rozovsky, Carlos Lowenstein, Maggie Shannon, Jay Muhlin, Michael Marcelle, Sophie T. Lvoff, Pauline Magnenat, Nat Ward, Ginevra Shay, Dan Boardman, Leigh Van Duzer, Mark Daniel Harley, Meghan Schaetzle, Curran Hatleberg, Lynley Bernstein, Quinn Gorbutt, Joe Lingeman, Josh Poehlein, Patrick Hogan, Matthew Austin, Seth Fluker, Nicole White, Eric Ruby, Daisuke Yokota, Ben Huff, Aaron Canipe, Nelson Chan, Jake Reinhart, Tara Wray, Sara J Winston, David Oresick, David la Spina, Amy Lombard Andrew Hammerand, Clayton Cotterell, Shane Lyman, Suzana Zak, Jeremy Haik, Jesse Hlebo, Coley Brown, Erin Jane Nelson, Andrew Frost, Colin Stearns, Magali Duzant, Jordan Baumgarten, Stephen Hilger, Lindsay Metivier, Jane Tam, Misha De Ridder, Sam Falls, Erik Schurbert, Pierre Le Hors, Kate Steciw, Bryan Graf, Charlie Rubin, Ryan Arthurs, Bryan Formhals, Samantha Sutcliffe, Nathan Bajar, Alec Soth, Brad Zellar, Lester B. Morrison, Jason Fulford, Michael Northrup, Greg Halpern, Natalie Krick, Claudia Angelmaier, Semâ Bekirovic, Charles Benton, Walead Beshty, Lucas Blalock, Talia Chetrit, Anne Collier, Natalie Czech, Jessica Eaton, Roe Ethridge, Sam Falls, Stephen Gill, Daniel Gordon, David Haxton, Matt Keegan, Elad Lassry, Katja Mater, Laurel Nakadate, Lisa Oppenheim, Torbjørn Rødland, Noel Rodo,Vankeulen, Joachim Schmid, Penelope Umbrico, Useful Photography, Charlie White, Ann Woo, Mark Wyse Adam Bell, Lesley A. Martin, Alex Klein,Noel Rodo,Vankeulen, Arthur Ou, Lyle Rexer, James Welling, Shane Lavalette, Michael Bühler,Rose, Caleb Charland, Matthew Gamber, Johan Rosenmunthe, Bill Sullivan, Dick Lyon, Magali Duzant, Livia Corona, Mathieu Bernard, Reymond, Louis Porter, Benjamin Lowy, Damien Rudd, Jack Addis, Jenny Odell, Kieron Cropper, Manuel Birnbacker, Michael Younker, Mike Patterson, Rick Silva, Stephan Tillmans, Thomas Albdorf, Daniel Kukla, Caleb Charland, Jay Gould, Travis Hocutt, Robin Myers, Curiosity Rover, Andrew McFarland, Johnny Deguzman, Nate Grossman, Sylvia Kim, Chris Maggio, Tim O’Connell, Randall Phenning, Matt Richter, Elena Tarchi, Jessica Van Fleteren, Joe Leveanworth, Marie Angeletti, Aurélien Arbet, Jérémie Egry, Flemming Ove Bech, Steven Brahms, Baker & Evans, Asger Carlsen, Bryan Dooley, Maurice van Es, Ryan Foerster, Thomas Hauser, Nico Krijno, Mårten Lange, Inka Lindergård and Niclas Holmström, Winslow Laroche, Jeremy Liebman, Max J. Marshall, Andrea P. Nguyen, Luke Norman & Nik Adam, Nicolas Poillot David Schoerner, Anne Kathrin Schuhmann, Daniel Shea, Athena Torri, Hannah Whitaker, Grant Willing, Athena Torri, Bea Fremderman, Ingo Mittelstaedt, Stuart Bailes, Alana Celii, Bobby Doherty, Brea Souders and Sean Vegezzi, Jake McNulty, Romeke Hoogwaerts and Grace Leigh, Sebastião Almeida, Chris Bang, Miranda Barnes, Brittney Bowers, Steven Brooks, Lynn Cazabon, Casey Daisey, Chinwe Edeani, Kevin Eikenberg, Hogarth Ferguson, Jerome Freeman, Bradley Fulton, Jack Garland, Didi S. Gilson, Tifanee Gladney, Larry Gloth, Caitlin Gore, Julien Hairault, Stephen Harper, Richard Hatch, Rob Hauer, Sandy Honig, Andrew Howard, Patrick Joust, Tommy Keith, Kevin Koffi, Sam Lehman, Stefan Lind, Andrew Marino, Brian McSwain, Wojtek Mszyca Jr., Vesa Nissinen, Jay Normandale, Alvaro Gomez Pidal, Tony Popovic, Eli Potter Luke Pownall, Martin Raack, Ding Ren, Shannon Richardson, Isaac Sachs, Antoine Séguin, James Singewald, Stephanie Spring, Bryan Vana, Ian Vecchiotti, Patrick Warner, Matthias Winkel, Douglas Wittnebert, Patrick Wright, Brad Ziegler, Christine Zhu, Bridget Collins, Kathleen Tso, Nicole Reber, Ian Rousey, Anna Yanofsky, Danny Lane, Beth Zimmerman, Scott Landfried, Cassidy Zachary, Nicole Reber, Jenni Stablein, Chris Nosenzo, Tracy Jenkins, Tiffany Diane Tso, Elizabeth Farrell, Ian Lewandowski, Anthony Cudahy, Christopher Chavez, Ian, Anthony Cudahy, Ali Bosworth, Andrew Laumann, Andrew Phelps, Axel Stevens, Brendan Baker and Daniel Evans, Christian Flatscher, Christian Patterson, Clare Strand, Damien Brailly, Ed Panar, Guillaume Maraud, Irina Yulieva, Jaap Scheeren, Jason Fulford, Jeremy R. Jansen, Jordan Small, Juan Ramon Rincon, Kenny Hurtado, KK + TF , Klara Källström and Thobias Fäldt, Laëtitia Donval, Lara Dhondt, Maciek Požoga, Maxime Milanesi, Peter Halupka, Roger Ballen, Santa Katkute, Taiyo Onorato & Nico Kreb, Thomas Albdorf, Timothy Briner, Torbjørn Rødland, Aleksander Kelpman, Alexander Gronsky, Casey McGonagle, Charlie Engman, Clayton Lee, Cyrille Weiner, Daniel Grant, Daniel Shea, Delaney Allen, Dustin Aksland, Erin Hanson, Erwan Morère, Franck Juery, Hildegunn Larsen, Nick White, Innis McAllister, JH Engström, John Mann, Kate Steciw, Lin Zhipeng, Margot Wallard, Mathieu Lambert, Matthieu Gafsou, Max Peake, Maxime Milanesi, Michael Cinque, Missy Prince, Nich Kunz, Nicholas Gottlund, Nick White, Pierre Letulzo, Raoul Gatepin, Santiago Mostyn, Sean Stewart, Sebastian Mlynarski, Stephanie Gonot, Stevie Dacanay, Tommy Nease, Yann Lélias, You Li, Benjamin Mouly, Don Hudson, Daniel Gordon, Trey Wright, Andrew B. Myers, Anthony Gerace, Stefan Vorbeck/ Stillsandstrokes, Dominica Page, Richard Barnes, Céline Clanet, Cody Cobb, Thomas Gardiner, Ruel & Kitty Wicks, Doug DuBois, Eric Wiley, Angela Cherry, Zachary Zezima, Nicole Reber, Eric Wiley, Zoe Juarez, Conor Messinger, Chris Nosenzo, Aidan Koch, Ian Faden, Ian Lewandowski, Anthony Cudahy, Matt Maher, Monica Macias, Bridget Collins, Arden Sherman, Claudia Eve Beauchesne, Frank Traynor, Alli Maloney, Chris Nosenzo, Bobby Walsh, Jason Lee, Gerardo Madera, Robin Williams, Aidan Koch, Ryan Rinaldi Lauren Albert, Dan Allegretto, Annaliese Downe, Penelope Umbrico, Hannah Whitaker, Brea Souders, Andrey Bogush, Robert Canali,Inka & Niclas, Dillon DeWaters, Sara Cwynar, Mimi Plumb, Adam Ferriss, John Chervinsky, Brendan George Ko, Ivan, Mikhailov, Mark Stafford, Himmpei Takeda, Robert Canali, alex Fischer, David Brandon Geeting, Bryan Krueger, Anouk Kruthof, Winslow Laroche, Jennilee Marigomen, Ian Markell, Josh Reames, Matthew Stone, Michael Youcker and more

[thechicagoperch]

Some Perch books are featured in this show outside of Boston!

[thechicagoperch]

New Perch publication All the Things... by Jonathan Pivovar will be on display at the Burren College of Art's Middle of Everywhere exhibition until August 8. 

[thechicagoperch]

Matt Austin was recently awarded the DCASE Individual Artists Program Grant...this means that The Perch will be publishing many more books and hosting more dinners this year! Hoo-rah!

Stay tuned!

[thechicagoperch]

Tonight marks the last day of the first year of the Interpreter in Residence program at the Smart Museum of Art.  5:00 – 7:30 pm  5550 S Greenwood in the courtyard I hope you can come out, have a few drinks, make a few toasts, and write the ending to my forthcoming book about this residency, to be published for the Smart's collection.  See you soon! More event information here:https://www.facebook.com/events/1440460742878129/

[thechicagoperch]

For Everyone a Garden :: The Perch dinner symposium on April 19, 2014

As part of The Perch's continuing mission to promote a platform for social exchange, a recurring series of dinner symposia are hosted at the space. The evening is designed and organized by a member of The Perch to facilitate a creative frame for discussion to occur in, with each dinner taking a theme that guests are asked to engage in the form of conversation, gesture, etc.

In For Everyone a Garden (taken from Moshe Safdie's 1974 book of the same name), artist and Perch collaborator Greg Ruffing asked guests to discuss their individual relationships to Utopia -- a conversation framed by Hakim Bey's “Temporary Autonomous Zone” and his assertion that the interactions of the modern dinner party are just one example of a TAZ. This dynamic was intentionally muddled by the decision to serve each of the evening’s ten guests a unique meal different from all the others.

--------------------------------------------------------------

As a reflection on the night, below is a conversation between Greg Ruffing and Collin Pressler on The Perch's symposium dinner For Everyone a Garden on April 19, 2014. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

  Collin Pressler:  Can you talk a little bit about your interest in Bey's "Temporary Autonomous Zone," and why/how you realized this as a Perch dinner symposium?

  Greg Ruffing:  I'd had a basic awareness of Bey's works and ideas for a while, having come across some of his art and writings thru research into anarchism and radical politics. I wouldn't say that I fully agree with all of his ideas, even the TAZ is a somewhat flawed concept itself, but I do think he's had some influence in modern philosophy and political thought. I first came across his notion of "Temporary Autonomous Zone" thru a 2010 interview he did in e-flux with Hans Ulrich Obrist. In that interview, Obrist asks Bey to elaborate on and/or give examples of a TAZ, and while Bey remains elusive/reluctant to define it, he does talk about the dinner party as a potential form of a TAZ saying “Nobody tells you what to do at a good dinner party. Nobody gives orders. Nobody collects taxes. Its an experience of giving and being given to, of filling the body and emptying the mind, having good conversation and good wine and so forth,” so I felt like I could run with that very basic explanation, and then see how we (The Perch) could expand on it, taking it in some different directions.

  CP:  Interesting. Certainly there are a number of exceptions to Bey's utopian read of dinner -- I think we talked a little about the weight of tradition, the inevitable prominence of etiquette, etc., during the planning stage for this dinner. How was dinner? Did fore-fronting the TAZ actualize it in some way?

  GR:  Yeah definitely some exceptions, especially in the way that The Perch dinner symposia operate. First and foremost, these dinners often bring together a group of guests who might not know each other – and might not even know The Perch. So right away you have common notions of obligation, etiquette, and deference coming into play. It was interesting to see how the dinner began, with everyone meeting each other casually over a drink before appetizers came out, and everyone trying to figure out who we (the dinner participants) were, why are were there, and how people and ideas and the symposium linked together. But I think the atmosphere throughout the evening ended up being really awesome. It seemed like a lot of people connected with each other on a very basic yet powerful human level. Many times during and after the dinner, a lot of guests commented on how the overall conversations were really thoughtful and insightful. We didn't really waste any time with small talk. We had a really awesome group of participants who brought great thoughts and ideas to the table.

  CP:  Can you talk about the structure of the evening? Guests were asked to literally bring something to the table, correct?

  GR:  Yes, so spiraling somewhat away from the TAZ concept, I was more interested in what Bey called "the always ongoing revolution of everyday life", which we can perhaps look at in the context of modern society and global capitalism. And it seemed to me that any notion of the "revolution of everyday life" might pertain to our individual and collective attempts to conjure and create some more idealized political and/or social systems. This brought me to the more specific concept of the dinner: Utopia. So the guests were prompted toward conversations about Utopia, to share their own personal thoughts and ideas about what Utopia might mean (and/or might look like) to them. As part of that dialogue, the guests were highly encouraged (though not required) to bring an object, image, text, etc. with them that they felt related to their ideas about Utopia.

  CP:  Was there an obvious commonality within the group, or were conversations disparate?

  GR:  Well, my assumption is that we all had at least a basic amount of overlap in terms of general social/political ideas, probably mostly being in some variety left-of-center, which might've actually been a shortcoming of the symposium, although I don't know how much of that could've been specifically predicted in advance. Regardless, I was really fascinated by the wide array of each person's interpretations and expressions of Utopia. Which I somewhat expected, but maybe you can never really know how wide or narrow a spread of definitions you'll encounter. For example, one of the things we talked about was the notion of struggling: the everyday struggles that we all endure in life, and perhaps the extent to which we either "choose" to struggle or, on the opposite, strive to minimize those difficulties. And so that conversation eventually led to talking about our everyday struggles within a capitalist society. I posed the question to everyone: perhaps capitalism is part of the problem? This elicited a wide range of responses.

  CP: Any memorable answers?

  GR:  There were a few pretty quick answers that yes, capitalism is a large part of the problem, and that the solution might entail some radical reconfiguration of that system. Others were more reticent, saying that capitalism seems to be the best model we have available and that maybe a more reasonable solution would be to work within capitalism but to do so more sustainably (for example, with greater economic stability and equality of opportunity like had historically existed in this country).

  CP: Can you speak a little more to the social dynamic of the dinner? Were there notable personalities or backgrounds that were especially useful in conversation?

  GR: People's experiences and thoughts about Utopia steered the conversation in many different ways, and often far beyond those initial experiences that we had thought about when compiling the guest list. Also, it was fascinating (and frankly kinda refreshing) to see that some guests, despite having distinctly complex or complicated experiences in navigating through everyday life, really ended up looking more internally or closer to home for their Utopian ideals: heartfelt notions about family, loved ones, cherished friends, spirituality, etc.

  CP: The Perch is an ostensibly arts-oriented collective -- how did guests not necessarily involved with that element handle the arts connotations or precedents active in that space? Is this mix of local personalities an indication of The Perch's future works? How interested are you in expanding the scope of The Perch's programming?

  GR: I guess there's a number of art-related topics that inspired the creation of the For Everyone a Garden event, but yes, you're right, the topics and conversations really traveled quite far away from the confines of art itself. I think this particular group was pretty diverse in terms of relating to "arts connotations". While some of the guests were not working artists in any way themselves, they definitely had strong connections and friends in the visual arts. Others guests were writers, teachers, or working in non-profit. And still, some of the guests were arts administrators or current/former gallery directors. So I feel like everyone probably had at least a little bit of experience with the arts, and regardless, each person seemed intrigued and compelled (or at least, let's say, not repulsed or turned away) by some of the conceptual aspects of the event. And more importantly, I never really got the impression from anyone that our conversations fell too far off the deep end of cryptic or esoteric.

  Returning to the structure of the participants, yes it was really important for us to go beyond just including other working artists in the symposium. I think this event was partially successful in that way, but could also continue to improve on expanding the audience and voices who contribute to the conversations. In general, maybe these dinner symposia should strive for a particular kind of balance. The Perch is not a humongous space, which can be a plus in terms of creating a really intimate setting for dialogue, but of course at the same time obviously limits each dinner to however many people we can comfortably fit at the table (which is usually around ten people at a time).

  For me personally, the notion of expanding audiences is of paramount importance. I'm really frequently troubled by the mystification and/or vibes of exclusivity that tend to hover around the arts, either from audience perception or from actual actions within the art world itself. I think we're all painfully aware of how narrow the typical art audience tends to be, and how sharply divided it often is in terms of income, education level, social class, etc. (I could ramble on about this forever, but instead I'll just say that there's already been extensive research and writing on this topic by the likes of Martha Rosler, Hans Haacke, John Berger and many others who detailed it more succinctly than I probably could). And I know Matt is tuned into concerns about participation and audience as well, as I've learned through many conversations with him and from seeing how he has broadened his artistic practice into other channels and audiences besides objects on the wall and traditional gallery settings. But again, we also should keep in mind that this problem of (and potential solutions for) audience engagement needs to be examined within the context of the larger art world and art market, and the society as a whole.

  CP: I know the design of the menu was intended to gesture towards the problem of individual taste / sensibility; with each pair of guests receiving a unique meal for dinner. Did these little reminders of issues of individuality and / or autonomy affect the way guests behaved at dinner?

  GR: A few aspects of the event were designed to play with notions of autonomy, again looking somewhat at Bey’s ideas. For example, each of the primary guests we invited were asked to then invite one further guest of their own choosing. Guests were also encouraged to share or exchange food if they wanted.

  The appetizer was a sampling of apples and cheeses, and each of the dinner participants received a unique plate with different apple and cheese combinations, but with the suggestion to swap and try whatever flavors appealed to them (or get rid of any flavors that didn’t appeal to them). This was also the implemented case for wine: each guest was given their own unique type of wine different from the others. For the main course, each pair of guests received a unique entree, and so we carried the same offer of exchange with those, too. I think many of the guests were curious about other foods that weren’t on their plates, and were interested in swapping. I remember one guest traded away a fried egg because she doesn’t really like eggs, and I also gave some roasted potatoes to someone in exchange for a baked avocado.

  Inspired by our dinner symposium title, the overall menu was entirely vegetarian, which turned out well since many of our dinner guests were vegetarian anyway. The menu also took a little bit of influence from historical ideas about intentional communities, collectives, co-ops, etc. (such as the Kibbutzum in Israel), who’ve sought a more self-sustaining form of communal living and have frequently been based around an agricultural production balanced between cash crops versus sustenance crops.

  In the end, the menu was really intended to point to some of the complications of individual autonomy. The guests were not told in advance what foods would be served, and were not permitted to “order” particular dishes -- upon arrival they were simply given a small menu that listed all the ingredients being used throughout the evening. It was our kitchen crew that was given the autonomy (with the help of a black curtain dividing the kitchen) to decide how those ingredients would be combined, produced, and presented as final entrees, and to whom they were served, without any direction or instruction. If our participants wanted to have a more ideal dinner, then some collaborations or compromises needed to be made with the other guests.

  CP:  And your lasting impression of the evening, if you could summarize?

  GR: As I mentioned, its nearly impossible to predict how it would unfold, so I didn't really have any major expectations. Asking a bunch of strangers to come to a semi-random space in Pilsen to create dialogue on some rather serious topics can seem kinda daunting. But we had an amazing group of intelligent and inspiring participants who contributed great ideas. I think one of the biggest things I took away from the evening, and had been very eager to experience, was the wide variety of interpretations of Utopia, and how they were all influenced by economics, politics, social justice, community, family, inner emotion, psychology, and many other factors. But that variety of interpretations also means that we didn't necessarily come to any general agreement about what Utopia could be on a massive scale -- which reminds us of how difficult Utopias are to achieve.

  --------------------------------------------------------------

  Greg Ruffing is a writer and visual artist in Chicago. He is the Director of The Perch’s Dinner Symposia program.

  Collin Pressler is a writer and arts facilitator living and working in Chicago. With Sixty Inches From The Center's Tempestt Hazel, he is the Perch's Co-Curator of Exhibitions and Events.

Matt Austin is an artist and educator living and working in Chicago. He is the founder and director of The Perch. 

The Perch is a Chicago-proud platform for sharing ideas through the publishing of books, coordination of symposium dinners, and other efforts inspired by the potential and importance of free learning. 

Connect with us at thechicagoperch [at] gmail [dot] com or #thechicagoperch. 

[whatdidisee]

So excited to be included in the Three Walls Starwalker Gala at Mana Contemporary June 6th!  

I’ve made a special edition of seven pieces to donate to the auction!

Lake Michigan (42x), 2014

9” x 11” mounted archival Inkjet prints

Signed and hand numbered

These will be included in seven of the ten Collector’s Cabinets up for auction which contain:

"a unique collection of objects, publications and works on paper by local artists ranging from emerging to mid-career, and was carefully curated by Sixty Inches From Center, The Perch and Autotelic {Studios}”

You can bid for one of these online here or buy tickets here for the party and live auction.

It’s gonna be one hell of a party with so many amazing artists!

[thechicagoperch]

Our booth at the ThreeWalls Gala is going be pretty beautiful...

It's going to be extremely beautiful. 

[thechicagoperch]

We are proud to announce the newest Perch publication is now available:

Lake Michigan (42) by Jessica Pierotti 

$12 each, produced in an edition of 30 inkjet printed, hand-sewn booklets (5.5"x7").

Get one of these beautes HERE. 

[mattislearning]

My new book The Shape of Spilled Milk releases next week at Cabin 207 in downtown Los Angeles!

The Shape of Spilled Milk is a book of stories and photographs covering a variety of moments–from reflections on the intimacy of romantic mornings, internet dream girls, and two-hour haircuts, encounters with birds trapped in airports and elevator handshakes with The President, to ideas of future eulogies and how Saturdays can feel in Pittsburgh–this book carries the theme of trying to be better through the process of remembering the old you(s) and old me(s). 

The book will be available for purchase after the release on April 26!

-First edition copies selling for $25 + shipping (will be available through my website and at Cabin 207)

-Available in 7 colors (seen above)

-6.5” x 8” perfect bound, 156 pages with silkscreened covers by Tyler Deal

-Signed and numbered edition of 250

-an introduction by Tempestt Hazel

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE RELEASE EVENT HERE.

[thechicagoperch]

Newest Perch publication releases next week!

[thechicagoperch]

Let’s Get Working is a three-day festival celebrating the legacy of Studs Terkel, revisiting his work and tracing his influence through oral histories, film screenings, performances, art installations, storytelling, and community dialogues.

The Perch will be involved in this festival in a few capacities:

1. The Perch office from the Smart Museum Interpreter in Residence Program will be installed at the Logan Center during the festival for visitors to engrave and talk. 

2. The Perch's founder Matt Austin will be on a panel discussion about Storytelling on the Saturday morning programming of the festival.

3. The Perch will be representing all of its publications and products at the Book and Information Fair on the first floor of the Logan. 

We're looking forward to it! Hope to see you there. 

More info here. 

[oranbeg]

Oranbeg Press presents Interleaves continued….

At the PPAC Art Book Fair this weekend (from 12-6pm) we will be releasing 36 new interleafs making it a total of 65! 

[thechicagoperch]

Two boys from The Perch team will be represented at the PPAC Art Book Fair this weekend!

Matt Austin - Pittsburgh Saturday Interleave @ Oranbeg Press

and I'M HERE: a two part tribute to my mother @ Empty Stretch

Jonathan Pivovar - LOVESICK Volume II @ Indie Photobook Library

Thanks for the support! Stop by if you can, we wish we could!

[thechicagoperch]

We had a very fun and successful book release for the LUMINOUS FLUX special edition at LATITUDE this past weekend! 

  Congratulations to Todd Diederich and thank you to all who came out to support us!

  Thanks to LATITUDE for hosting the event! This was a truly wonderful way to end a beautiful and gratifying project!

  Also, a big thanks to everyone's hard work in making this book physically exist: 

Jess Pierotti

Ty Deal

Victor Yañez-Lazcano

Jono Pivovar

Daniel Green

Jeff Austin

  Stay tuned for the next project to come...

[thechicagoperch]

A great write-up in UChicago Magazine about The Perch and the Interpreter in Residence program at the Smart Museum of Chicago: Check it out. 

[thechicagoperch]

We've been busy!

For the past few weeks, we've been in major production mode of Todd Diederich's 'Luminous Flux' Deluxe Edition of 20 hand-sewn, hand-glued, screenprinted, sweetly loved, and signed artist books.

We're almost finished with the full edition, but we're also so excited to show you our progress! 

If you're in L.A. for the Art Book Fair this weekend, stop by the VIA Publication table to get a peek at what we've been up to.